Bully Japan

Rockstar Games, the industry's lightning rod for controversy, continues its reputation for edgy, unusual material in Bully for PlayStation 2, a game that stars a juvenile delinquent in a reform school for troubled teens. More a sardonic pastiche of 1980s high school films than a violent ode to the publisher's Grand Theft Auto past, Bully carefully re-creates an academic atmosphere with classrooms, lunch periods, socializing with other students, season-related events, and plenty of areas to explore before curfew. Fifteen-year-old Jimmy Hopkins reluctantly attends the strict Bullworth Academy for a year, during which he'll develop skills, befriend peers, romance girls, and make a name for himself as either a hero or a miscreant.